Slide styles and Create backup in ZIP

[Lin Evans]

This topic was extracted from (SOLVED) - user error - An interesting Problem With Export Styles... (Igor)

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Hi Igor,

The problem with exporting styles is corrected totally - however the may be a problem with the "create backup in zip" feature when styles are used. No matter which style is used, when create backup in zip is performed, the components of the style other than the image being used, etc., is not included in the backup...

I understand that inside the PTE file the style is being "called" and applied, but what if the style no longer exists? Wouldn't it be prudent to include saving the style ini along with the other components? Otherwise doesn't it make it impossible to transfer a show from one computer to another if the second computer doesn't have the style installed?

Best regards,

Lin

[davegee]

Lin,

I believe that we discussed this a LONG time ago.

Can you not just add the (exported) Style to the ZIP Folder.

The components of the Style are then unpacked when you apply the Style.

I might have misunderstood your "problem".

DG

[Lin Evans]

I can do that now that I can export styles, but it seems that it should probably be part of the "create backup in zip" feature? If not, doesn't it defeat the purpose of having that feature.? Those who are computer literate can, of course, include the style or "styles" as the case may be, but people who don't really have a firm grasp about what is happening would have to know that the style would then have to be "imported" on the system where it wasn't resident.

Actually, to be correctly backed up, the styles used should be included and they should be automatically installed then when needed and not found the first time the PTE file is opened by PicturesToExe. Otherwise there are going to be major issues down the road when PTE users have and use multiple styles. At least, as a former developer, that's how I would do it...

Best regards,

Lin

[davegee]

Maybe I'm thinking this out wrong but.....

....if the style is not yet applied then how does PTE know which style to include?

...if the style has been applied then all of the constituent parts are gathered up and included in the Template. The Style itself is not listed as having been applied so how does the Backup know which Style(s) has(have) been applied.

DG

[Lin Evans]

I'm not finding that to be the case. I create a show using an applied style. Then I do a "create backup in zip" and the constituent parts are not gathered up, that's the problem.

Perhaps this is limited to my XP system - I'll have to try it on my Win-8 system, but on my XP system there are only the main image and the PTE file. The various png, animated gifs, etc., inside the applied style are not included in the "create backup to zip" zipped archive.

I just tried it in my Win 8.1 system - same result. Try it for yourself. Create a backup in zip with PTE with an applied style then go open that zip archive and see what's inside. It only works when you unzip it into a new folder because the PTE file loads the style and components but if you were to transfer this zipped archive to a system which didn't have the components resident nor the style, then it wouldn't work and that defeats the backup purpose....

Best regards,

Lin

[davegee]

Now I understand!

Yes I agree that is a problem.

DG

[denisb]

Hi Lin, the problem is known.

Look at http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17261-problem-with-styles/

Denis

[Lin Evans]

Hi Denis,

Yes I remember - but actually there was never a resolution to the problem. Of course there is the issue of "where" styles are stored because it's a user option, but at least copying the style to the zip archive would insure that the style and associated files were available if not actually exported by PTE to the correct folder. As it is now, when the backup is opened on a different system which doesn't have that style - the internal files (if any) which are germaine to the style are lost and there is no way to make the show play properly. Were the style(s) included in the zipped archive, at least the user could install them and the show would then work normally.

In other words we presently have no correct "backup" when the slideshow uses styles. It's only a true backup when the necessary style is resident or when there is no style in the slideshow. How difficult would it be for the PTE "Backup files to zip" feature to export the styles associated with the show and referenced in the PTE file and include them in the zip archive - problem solved I think....

Best regards,

Lin

[davegee]

Lin,

I agree that the components added when a Style is applied should all be indexed in properties tab of O&A and therefore should be part of the Template/BIZ but (at present) I cannot see anywhere any reference to a specific Style having been applied. So, for it to be included in the Template/BIZ is a little difficult.

Maybe the fact is hidden somewhere and Igor can extract it - there is a lot going on "behind the scenes".

DG

[Lin Evans]

Hi Dave,

The reference to the applied style(s) is in the dot PTE file so to program a backup of this would just mean parsing additional parts of the PTE file to determine the style(s) being used then exporting them to the zipped archive.

I really don't think it would be that difficult to accomplish. Once the dot ptestyle file(s) is in the zipped archive then it would be extraneous if the folder were unzipped on the same system, but when an error message about (style missing) is encountered, the user could then simply copy those unzipped ptestyle files to the appropriate folder and all would be well I think.. Even this import the styles could easily be automated by a tiny program which read the current user choice folder and imported them automatically. Of course this assumes that a duplicate style name file wasn't already resident, but even that could be circumvented by comparing the dates of creation on the two files then prompting the user for a decision.

Best regards,

Lin

[davegee]

Igor will find a way!

[denisb]

Not sure

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17261-problem-with-styles/#entry114794

[davegee]

Maybe that is the way??

DG

[Igor]

Hi,

We see two solutions one of which could be implemented in future version 9.0:

A. When you use "Create backup in ZIP" the program automatically includes all resources of used custom slide styles (as Lin suggested).

B. When you apply a custom slide style, the program copies all resources to the project folder.

We prefer variant B, because it covers different scenarios of work with PicturesToExe. If you manually copy project files in Windows Explorer and move to another computer, all files will be included. In variant A you have to use "Create backup in ZIP" to correctly transfer a project to another computer or manually export/import used slide styles.

What you think?

[davegee]

Definitely "B".

For years we have been telling users to keep all resources in a single folder (with sub folders).

The "B" option is in line with that principle.

But doesn't it mean that we have create or designate a project folder?

DG

[denisb]

Hi,

I prefer "A"

I propose 3 slide styles of snow (on diapositif)

Suppose a user try this 3 slide styles: Three png images of the snow will be copied if solution B is retained.

If solution A is implemented, only one png image will be copied in the zip.

Denis

[davegee]

Denis,

Surely each subsequent .png will overwrite the previous one if all have the same name??

DG

[denisb]

Dave,

I make three styles with three different png with three different names.

User can use the three different slide styles to vary the intensity of the snow (on the same project)

Denis

[davegee]

So you would need all three versions each with a different name??

"If solution A is implemented, only one png image will be copied in the zip."

DG

[jt49]

I must admit that I have not jet come across this problem, as I have never used styles. In my opinion, styles are a kind of macros. You apply them, but they should not be part of the project. So when collecting all media to a single folder using the zip-backup, then all media should be there. This is what version A suggests. It is the minimal solution, and in my opinion it is a consistent solution, while version B is not.

If we use images in a project which are outside the project folder (a notion that should be defined ), PTE does not copy these images. So, why should this happen with objects stored with styles? If you use 3 styles when creating a project, styles that may all contain an image, say "Background.jpg", but where all 3 backgrounds are different (though having the same name). There will be a problem with Solution B. I would never recommend to use different images with identical names, neither in the standard situation nor in styles. But as long as it is possible to do it, solution B cannot be the way to go.

Regards,

jt

[Tonton Bruno]

Hi,

I prefer "A"

I propose 3 slide styles of snow (on diapositif)

Suppose a user try this 3 slide styles: Three png images of the snow will be copied if solution B is retained.

If solution A is implemented, only one png image will be copied in the zip.

Denis

Hi, Denis.

I am not sure of that.

I created two styles, one with an object going from left to right, and one with an object going from right to left.

The two styles use the same background image, and the two styles are present in my project.

If I try to save this project as a template, I get the message "impossible to proceed because two slides having the same name are in différent folders".

[Tonton Bruno]

Hi.

I prefer option B.

If this option is used, it will not be necessary to mention the style in PTE code, and the code will remain cleaner.

This solution works if PTE adds a suffix to each filename coming from the style.

Assume that each time a user creates or inports a new style, a unique number is automatically associated to this style. This number is not displayed.

When a user applies a style containing an object named for instance "MyObject.jpg", PTE will add in the project folder a copy of this object named "MyObject(03528).jpg", assuming that 03528 is the number associated to this style.